Algorithms: or how to make responsibility disappear I am reading a fascinating book (Revolutionary Mathematics, by Justin Joque, Verso, 2022) in which he develops the idea that the current takeover of many everyday processes by algorithms (of which he explains the logic and maths – which I find fascinating!) is a form of objectification inContinue reading “Belief in stats and algorithms : an illusion of objectivity”
Tag Archives: technology
Flying cars are yesterday’s future
Flying cars have been around since cars were invented. Trajan Vuia built one in 1903, though only took off in 1906 (for a few meters). Henson and Stringfellow imagined a flying steam carriage as early as 1843. And so on, up until today’s breathless headlines, telling us – for example on 13th January 2025 –Continue reading “Flying cars are yesterday’s future”
General AI – headed towards irrelevance?
Focussed AI is a powerful tool Focussed AI is a useful tool when applied to closed and verified data, information and texts: so, for instance, it is easy to imagine it usefully summarising – and extracting information from – a curated body of legal texts, archives, interview transcripts, maps or programming routines. The key isContinue reading “General AI – headed towards irrelevance?”
If a ‘science’ feminizes, is it still considered science?
Sunday 11th February was United Nation’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This is an important reminder of the biases – explicit and unconscious – that women face when they enter the world of research and academia. Biases are also faced by people from other historically disadvantaged groups. According to the UN, non-STEMContinue reading “If a ‘science’ feminizes, is it still considered science?”
Richard Shearmur 